Vancouver Location

In-person sessions
Saturday 9 am - 4 pm

Virtual sessions
Thursday and Fridays.

About Me

“Knowing oneself comes from attending with compassionate curiosity to what is happening within.” - Gabor Maté

I am a settler in Canada, born in Brazil, a person of colour, cisgender, and a beneficiary of the Canadian and Brazilian colonial system. I moved to Canada in 2002 with the desire to learn about different cultures and to gain different perspectives of human interactions.

Prior to be involved with mental health, I worked as a graphic designer in advertising agencies in both Brazil and Canada. Parallel to my corporate job, I was able to gain over 800 hours of yoga and meditation training and have had the privilege to study and travel to various countries. In 2016, I had the opportunity to host the Beyond Addiction (BA) program in Vancouver where I met Dr. Gabor Mate and Dr. Sat Dharam Kaur. During my involvement with Beyond Addiction (BA), I developed a deep understanding and interest in trauma which led me to become a volunteer at Downtown Eastside (DTES). In DTES, I saw firsthand the struggles one suffers due to traumatic childhood experiences. I taught yoga and meditation to individuals who lived with various mental health issues such as substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and trauma - people who were self-medicating to stop their pain.

From that experience, in 2018, I was invited to be part of the first training in Compassionate Inquiry (CI), a psychotherapeutic approach, led by Dr. Gabor Maté. With the certification in my hands, in 2019, I became a CI intern which involved working to support and hold the space for groups around the world including the first BIPOC CI group during the training. I have been integrating the CI approach in my practice ever since, and facilitating CI groups since January 2022. My love and curiosity about mental health and human behaviour led me to go back to school to pursue my master’s degree.

Therapeutic Approach

My intention, as a therapist, is to help my clients to become aware of their belief system, their interpretations, and to create a ‘brave space’ where they would have the courage to share and to face their deepest traumatic events. I believe that authenticity, care, and compassion are keys to helping individuals to reconnect with their true selves and to develop resilience to explore their deepest traumas and repetitive patterns. Through invitation and curiosity, my clients are fostered to explore their cognitive processes, feelings, and somatic experiences. When working with me, clients can expect to experience the Compassionate Inquiry (CI) approach, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic experiences models, and psychoeducational approach. My purpose is to walk alongside my clients working from a trauma-informed lens. I also integrate into my sessions the teachings of mindfulness practices which may help my clients’ nervous system to be befriended. My approach is holistic and also integrated with evidence-based practices. You can expect to experience care, compassion, and understanding during our sessions.

Outside of my counselling work:

I am curious about cultures and I love engaging in conversations with people. My major self-care is to spend time walking in the forest with my dog (Benjamin). I appreciate a good movie in the company of my lovely husband and I also love reading books about neuroscience, human behaviour, and psychotherapy models. I enjoy my own company and love meditating and practicing yoga. You may see me riding my bike or jogging around the Musqueam lands in UBC.

Online Session Only

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

About Me

I’ve been doing some form of counseling in various settings for over 35 years. Initially, my practice had a spiritual orientation and a focus on couples and group work. I’ve worked with all ages, from children to elders, to try and gracefully navigate the joys and heartaches of daily life and live in harmony with Life and each other. Lately, I have also companioned people who are trying to integrate and embody their non-ordinary and psychedelic experiences. In support of this work I most recently completed a certificate in Psychedelic Research and Therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

My approach to therapy is quite simple. Most difficulties arise between people, not within them.  When our interactions with our environment are troubled, we feel troubled. We are affected by each other. Harms that come to us through relationships can continue to echo in our lives until we find someone who will listen and care as we unburden our heart about what happened. When we can precisely grieve those losses in the safety and privacy of the therapeutic relationship, we may find our stuck places give way to more personal and relational freedom, vitality, and courage. I work in solidarity with people to create mental, physical, emotional, and relational environments for themselves that support their well-being and allow them to thrive. My client is the expert on themself and I am their enthusiastic student. I follow my client and let them teach me what it's like to be them. Together, we imagine and embody new ideas, feelings, and ways of seeing things. The changes that take place in the therapy room ripple out into the world. This conscious and confidential relationship of care and attention is fired by real human connection. I bring all of myself into our relationship and invite you to do the same. I would love it if you found therapy a place where you can deeply relax. I don’t have an agenda for you. I want for you what you want for yourself. I want to be your ally.

I am also happy to work with couples as they navigate how to love, listen, speak up for themselves and communicate honestly. Just as a healthy garden displays biodiversity, I find that my life is enriched by diversity. I celebrate wildly diverse expressions of personality, thought, belief, gender identity, sexuality, and relationship expression. I want to support the unique gift of who you are and collaborate with you in building a world for yourself that supports a relaxed, authentic, and connected you. It's my hope that my clients will feel thoroughly welcomed by me.

I am currently exploring Internal Family Systems Therapy and Relational Life Therapy (RLT). I love RLT because it gives tools to couples to learn how to cherish each other. It aims for a deep and vital connection between people, not just patching up difficulties. It inspires me.

In theoretical orientation, I take inspiration from the work of Steven Hayes (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), Carl Rogers (Person-Centered Therapy), Fritz Perls (Gestalt Therapy), Milton Erikson, Irvin Yalom, Stan Grof (Holotropic Breathwork), R. D. Laing and Andrew
Feldmar (Radical Therapy).

I love having my hands in the dirt, creating fertile soil. I like to walk my dog, listen to music, and take in the beauty of the world around me. Being a mom, a gardener, and caring for the people I love are the most important things in my life.

Areas of Focus

• Anxiety/Depression
• Trauma/Spiritual Abuse and Trauma/Shame
• Couples Work/Non-Traditional Relationships
  (Polyamory, Arranged Marriages/BDSM/Kink)
• Gender Expression
• Asexuality
• Sex and Sexuality/Intersex/Sacred Sexuality
• Relationship Issues/Infidelity Recovery/Intimacy
• Parenting/Infertility and Pregnancy loss
• Spirituality/Mindfulness/Relaxation
• Spiritual Emergency
• Psychedelic Integration
• Dream Work

In-person and Video sessions.

Monday and Tuesday.